Bruise Drabbles
by Ninjago Nuisance
Summary: Series of Cole/Jay [Bruiseshipping] one and two shots. Ratings will vary. Setting will be detailed above each entry. Enjoy!
1. Molten Hands

Takes place immediately following the events in S7 ep 3 A Time of Traitors. Just a quick idea that came to me while on my bus ride home. Some fluff because I was in the mood for it. Enjoy! 

_"Hurray Jay, get out of there!"_

 _"Just...don't hurt me."_

Cole sat in silence, elbows on his knees and hands slightly extended out. He analyzed them closely, eyes narrowed in deep concentration, scrutinizing every inch of his open palms. Jay's words echoed in the back of his mind. He hadn't the time to really register it then, not with the Vermillion Warriors kidnapping the people of Ninjago, but now that he was alone...

Well, moderately alone. Nya and Jay were overseeing Zane's reboot and Kai was...off in his own world. Cole, on the other hand, was exhausted. Using... _whatever this new power is_...it drained him. Using it felt entirely new. There was so much raw, untapped power behind his fists. It was like the weight of the Earth condensed into his hands and the molten orange glow was drawn from the unfathomable density of the planet's core itself.

But it was dangerous. He couldn't control it.

His hands balled into fists and he squeezed. "Why can't I do this?" He asked, sitting back against the wall, eyes roaming up to the ceiling. "I almost...hurt Jay." The ebony haired ninja sighed defeatedly. The last thing he would ever want to do is hurt his best friend. He wanted so badly to use this new power, to harness it, to be a better combatant with a fearsome right and left hook...but not if it meant risking someone he cared about.

"Maybe I should...wait," He said tiredly. "Not use it...not until I know what it is..." His fists clenched tighter and his knuckles blanched from the strain. The more he thought about what damage he could have done, the worse he felt. The very idea danced around in his mind tormentingly, and his stomach twisted and grew heavy with guilt.

"He was...afraid of me," Cole said shakily. Jay was quick to stand at his side in battle...but that was the heat of the moment, that was what was necessary to protect the denizens of their city, the fear was still there.

"Who was afraid of you?" Jay inquired as he walked to Cole, wiping something that looked to be oil off his hands with a cloth. Maybe he and Nya had tried a few other things to help Zane, so far as Cole could guess. After their brother had awoken and sputtered nonsense, he'd powered down again, leaving everyone scratching their heads.

" _4721._ "

That's what Zane had said. A meaningless jumble of numbers, to the Master of Earth, anyway. Cole wasn't the type to know much at all about tech, so he'd opted to sit off to the side, alone with his thoughts while Nya and Jay worked on Zane. With the blue ninja now approaching him, it seemed like they were either taking a break or had given up.

"Huh?" Cole mumbled, eyes quickly turning away from Jay to glue to the floor. Jay walked up beside his seated companion, following the black ninja's gaze to the floor, his own blue eyes scanning it curiously.

"I asked who was afraid of you," The brunette answered, "although now I'm wondering what you're doing over here...and what you're looking at."

"Nothing." Cole said quickly. Jay looked back to him and nodded.

"Sure, man," The blue ninja plopped himself down unceremoniously and groaned. "Zane's still offline...but Nya thinks that if we let him rest overnight he should be better in the morning. She'd know better than me, so I say we just stick around the Samurai X Cave and wait." Cole simply nodded and kept his dark eyes trained down on the floor in front of his feet. Jay quirked a brow at him. "Uh, Earth to Cole? You there?"

"Yeah," The black ninja replied shortly.

"Oh good," Jay snorted, "I was worried you'd wandered off on me. What's gotten into you?"

"Nothing..." Cole responded, turning his head slightly away from Jay, looking at another patch of ground. The Master of Lightning wasn't having any of that, so he inched closer and reached out to lay a hand on his friend's forearm.

Cole flinched instantly at the touch, practically flinging the smaller teen back, and Jay quickly withdrew his hand.

"Woah, hey," Jay sputtered as he reared, "Cole, _jeez,_ take it easy!"

"S-Sorry!" Cole said, his voice an octave higher than normal, and laced with a mixture of concern and guilt. Jay took notice.

"It's fine," He relaxed, "but what's going on? You don't normally spazz when I touch you..." Cole blushed a bit, mostly from embarrassment.

"I wasn't expecting it."

"Not good enough," Jay frowned, "try again."

"I..." Cole trailed off without continuing. Blue gave black a moment to respond, but when nothing came of it, Cole received a tiny shock to his ribs. "Ahh!" He cried out and shifted a few inches away, quickly rubbing his side while glaring, his thick brows knitting into a scowl. "That _hurt_."

"Yeah, well," Jay crossed his arms over his chest, "so does ignoring me. Or, like, whatever it is you're doing."

"I wasn't ignoring you," Cole said evenly, his expression quickly softening. "I just...I'm sorry..." The blue ninja stared back at his sullen friend, a very confused expression on his face.

"Sorry for...ignoring me? Or something else I didn't know you did?" Jay ventured, pursing his lips as he tried to think of what Cole could be referring to. "Wait...—WAIT! Did you break something? Oh, you broke my controller again, didn't you!?" The brunette shouted. Cole gawked.

"What? No—no, I didn't break your controller!" The blue ninja calmed remarkable quick.

"Oh, well, then I guess I forgive you or whatever."

"Jay," Cole sighed exasperatedly, "I meant for _earlier_."

"Earlier what?" Jay asked, still very confused. Cole groaned loudly and threw his head back, the shaggy mop of black hair moving with his motions.

"For... _ugh_! For almost crushing you with a car, for causing you to fly into that dumpster—" Jay stared, entirely caught off guard as Cole continued, "—for...for _scaring you_..." The dark-haired ninja's voice grew softer as he practically whispered the last part.

There was a pause and Cole closed his eyes, a prickling sensation starting behind his eyes as he fought off tears. _He refused to cry in front of Jay_. Even when he felt Jay's hand on his shoulder, he didn't open his eyes, and instead turned his head slightly away.

"Hey, Cole," Jay said softly, his voice almost cooing, "it's okay...I wasn't, I mean, you didn't _really_ scare me or anything. I know you wouldn't hurt me." The blue ninja rubbed comforting circles into his friend's shoulder. "I shouldn't have said that, I'm the one who needs to say sorry. Will you look at me, you dope?"

Reluctantly, Cole turned his head in Jay's direction and hesitantly opened his eyes, worried that seeing Jay's face would release unshed tears. Thankfully, it didn't. Instead he just saw his friend's shimmering blue eyes and winning smile.

"Thank you," Jay grinned, "I'd never be afraid of you, Cole, you're a big softie." Cole nodded slowly.

"But, my hands—"

"Are just hands, dummy," Jay said as he reached down with both his hands to take hold of both of Cole's. "Yeah, your new power is...sort of unpredictable...but you're still you." Jay laced their fingers, pressing their palms together, and giving a firm reassuring squeeze. "You'd never hurt me, or anyone who didn't deserve it, because you're just a big ol' teddy bear."

Cole laughed a bit. "Teddy bear?"

"Yes, teddy bear," Jay confirmed with a nod. "Now don't be sorry anymore...and don't mope."

"Thanks Jay," Cole smiled. "I'll try not to."

"No problem." The blue ninja replied. "I'll always trust you, and you can always trust me, so don't go thinking you need to keep secrets either."

"No secrets." The black ninja agreed.

"Good," Jay quickly leaned over and pecked his friend on the cheek. The kiss was quick, but it was more than enough to make every inch of the Master of Earth feel like the Master of Lightning had struck him with some of his trademark element. "Then, since we're in agreement, I'll just throw that out there."

"Jay, can you help me with this?" Nya called from Zane's bedside elsewhere in the cave.

"Sure Nya, hold on," Jay turned back to a still very stunned Cole and smiled. "We can continue this later?" He said, hopeful.

Cole simply nodded, red as Kai's gi.


	2. Molten Hands Pt 2

**A/N:** I felt obligated to post a part two to this considering the cliff-hanger I left the previous part on. Since this is taking place in season 7 they have their old designs still. After this I'm more than likely going to just throw down random one/two-shots into this " _collection_ ". Anyway, hope you enjoy!

* * *

It had been a few hours since Jay had left him with his thoughts. Since then, Cole had ambled around the Samurai X Cave, mostly looking around aimlessly while his mind wandered. Briefly, he'd happened in Kai's direction, so he approached his red companion, but Kai was too lost in his own contemplation to be much for conversation.

Seeing as each of his attempts to chat were met with " _yeah_ ," " _uh huh_ ," and " _mhmm, sure_ ," Cole supposed that Fire was too busy for Earth, especially with how fixated the former was on the helmet he kept clutched tightly in his hands.

So, he kept walking.

Making his way through the underground lair and up the bridged entrance.

Now Cole had found himself outside, but not too far from the entrance, since they were in the middle of the desert and it would be far too easy to get lost in the dark. Instead, he sat down on a nearby rock and just stared up at the sky.

A lot was going through his mind.

 _Jay had kissed him_. Albeit, on the cheek, but a kiss is a kiss.

The Master of Earth raised a hand to his shaggy hair and scratched absently at his scalp. The more he tried to think about it, the more confused he felt. He'd experienced an interesting cocktail of emotions over the past few hours, and it all felt very draining.

He flopped back onto the rock, keeping his dark eyes trained skyward, watching the faint twinkle of stars overhead. It was pleasantly cool outside, which felt mercifully good against his heated face. His hand moved from his hair and down to his cheek, fingers brushing over the spot where Jay had planted the kiss.

Cole felt his face grow hotter still and he knew he was blushing. " _Ugh_ ," He huffed, throwing an arm across his face to cover his eyes. He hated this.

"Why'd he do that?" Cole muttered. He couldn't figure it out. Jay had always been spontaneous, but this was taking it to a whole new level. What was the brunette thinking? Was it a joke? Was it serious? What were the implications of the peck? Cole slowly uncovered his eyes and stared up.

Being outside was normally calming. Inside there was too much noise and he couldn't sit still.

Usually the outdoors helped to clear his head. It wasn't doing much this time around.

' _Then, since we're in agreement, I'll just throw that out there._ '

Cole huffed. How did Jay _want_ him to interpret that? It was so cryptic! And needlessly so! Almost as if Master Wu himself had said it to the black clad ninja.

He paused as he looked up at the stars again. Maybe he was overthinking it. Or maybe he needed to consider something else.

Did he like Jay? Sure, Jay was his best friend. He loved spending time with the little motormouth. Jay's energy was often infectious, and Cole always admired his enthusiasm and expressiveness. He was much more reserved in comparison, he tended not to voice his opinion unless he felt it absolutely necessary, whereas Jay would state it matter-of-factly regardless of the situation.

Aside from the admiration he felt, he also found Jay funny, though he'd never admit that to The Master of Lightning's face. Jay was also kind, kinder than most would see, and Cole appreciated that too. There was a lot he liked about Jay.

But did he like… _like_ Jay, like him… _that way_?

Cole uttered another irritated groan. "I'm not a kid anymore," He insisted to himself, "like-like? What even is that? I—"

The ebony haired teen paused midsentence. He lapsed into another moment of silence and then breathed out, sitting upright and taking a meditative pose Sensei Garmadon had taught him—well, he and Kai, the two of them were most guilty for losing their temper—and he stilled.

"Maybe…" Cole inhaled through his nose, then exhaled softly, "—maybe I do…like him." He chuckled a bit and closed his eyes, picturing Jay behind his lids. "He's…nice, fun, kind of _cute_ …I guess." Earth blushed again at the admission. He'd never really said it outload before, but he had caught himself thinking it from time to time.

 _Jay was sort of cute to him_.

"I guess I do like him." Cole admitted, feeling his mind clear considerably. A small smile graced his lips, tugging the thin line up at the corners.

All at once, the atmosphere changed, and Cole could sense the presence of another.

 _Crunch_.

Cole was quick to leap up and whirl around, fists raised in readiness.

"Woah, hey—it's just me!" Jay threw his arms up defensively, then cocked his notched eyebrow. "Unless, uh, you were wanting to fight me or something?"

Cole lowered his hands and visibly relaxed. "Jay." He said.

"Yep, it's just lil' ol' me." Blue walked to black and jumped up on the rock, smiling up at his taller friend. "I said we'd continue this later, and I meant it. You, uh, good with what happened?" Cole could tell by the way Jay finished his question that he wasn't entirely confident that the kiss was appreciated.

"Yeah," The Master of Earth replied shortly, knowing it'd make Jay squirm. Jay was a talker, and despite the fact he could easily carry a conversation himself, he hated when Cole was curt with him. He knew he was in trouble if Cole responded with one-word answers.

He might very well like Jay, but that kiss was entirely unfair, and he wanted to make sure Jay was at least mildly agitated for it. Teasing the little brunette was rather fun, after all.

"Oh," Jay winced, bringing his hands together to wring them out, a nervous tick of his. "Well, I, uh…was it…bad?"

"No."

"That's good…" Blue breathed, relieved. "Did you…like it?"

"Yes."

Jay eyed Cole, trying to read his friend's expression, but he'd be lying if he said he could always tell what the ebony haired male was thinking. Cole had an amazing poker face, and it could be unnerving at times.

"I…uh, I mean…," Jay raised his hand and rubbed the back of his neck. "I could—like, uhm, can I kiss you again?"

"May."

Blue stared at black, confused. "What?"

Cole smirked and crossed his arms over his broad chest. "May. May you kiss me again. You're asking permission, aren't you?" Jay blinked at him and then blushed deep red and puffed his cheeks.

"Damn it, Cole! I was really freaking worried there for a second!" He threw a punch at his friend, connecting with Cole's bicep. The Master of Earth laughed heartily, barely feeling the force behind the blow.

"Take it easy, Jay," Cole soothed, unfolding his arms and placing a hand on Jay's head, tussling his friend's short brunette locks. "You _may_ kiss me again, if you'd like." Blue eyes flicked up to meet deep brown.

"Yeah?" Jay ventured.

"Sure," Cole nodded, "but I think maybe you should tell me _why_ first."

"Why?" Blue blinked.

"Yeah, why you want to kiss me all of a sudden." Black explained.

Jay snorted and ducked out from under his friend's hand. "All of a sudden? Y'big lug, I've wanted to kiss you for a while…" That made Cole blush. And in traditional Jay fashion, he continued talking. "I dunno for how long, but it's been a while. But you were a ghost for a bit, and I thought that'd be…awkward? Can you kiss a ghost? I have no idea! And then there was the whole thing with Nadakhan…and we had to save Nya…and I had to save everyone. Didn't really feel like the right time to try and it wasn't exactly the first thing on my mind." Both of Jay's hands found their way into his hair and he was anxiously raking his fingers through his locks.

Cole felt obligated to calm his rambling friend. "Jay—okay, I get it. But then why'd you kiss me today?" Jay looked up at Cole, then away from him and shrugged his shoulders.

"I don't know. You looked sad…and I hate that. And I hate that something I just offhandedly said hurt you…I just wanted you to feel better and the kiss just…happened. I couldn't really help myself…I just wanted to kiss you." Cole was certain no person could be any redder than Jay was now.

"I see," Cole walked over and slipped his hand under Jay's chin, tilting the blushing ninja's head up. "Well, when you blush like that I think you look…cute…, and it makes me want to kiss _you_."

Blue stared up at black expectantly. "Well, then you should." Jay said, matter-of-factly, once again so casually stating his opinion. Cole chuckled a bit and leaned down slowly. Jay squeezed his eyes shut tightly and readied himself for a kiss.

Cole pressed his lips delicately to Jay's, the touch so much softer than Lightning had anticipated from Earth, there was barely any pressure behind the chaste kiss. Jay's brow scrunched and he huffed a bit, leaning up to put some force into their connection, making sure his lips were planting themselves firmly to Cole's. He wanted the black ninja to know he could kiss him a little harder than that.

"Mmm," Cole couldn't help but make a happy sort of sound as they kissed, the earth beneath their feet rumbling a bit in response. Similarly, blue sparks were crackling and flying wildly off Jay, lighting up the blackness around them in brief bursts of vibrant azure.

As their kiss broke, stray streaks of lightning struck the ground around their feet, pelting small rocks and scattering them.

"Woah," Jay flushed. "That was…"

"Intense." Cole agreed. Tentatively, Jay inched closer and placed his hands on Cole's chest, his wide blue eyes looking up at his friend. Cole stared back down, gingerly moving to rest his hands on Jay's sides, not sure where else to put them.

"I want to kiss you again." Jay said forwardly. Cole smiled down at him lopsidedly.

"I'd like that."


	3. A Shocking Reaction

**A Shocking Reaction**

* * *

[ **Request** ]  
Big thanks to LizaDrawsgames (from _Wattpad_ ) for the suggestion! Hope it's to your liking! This one's definitely fluffy. And there's the tiniest bit of Greenflame, sort of, if you squint. I guess. ¯\\_(ツ)_/¯

* * *

Jay Walker, Master of Lightning, had a rather interesting reaction when surprised.

Sometimes he would merely jump, perhaps even yelp…but on occasion, if you managed it just right, he had a rather _shocking_ reaction.

And with that in mind, Kai, bored with the day's activities as they came to a close, vowed to startle his teammate for said response.

"That was a good training session," Wu said to his students, staff in hand as he turned away, "you may have the rest of the evening to do as you please."

"Alright," Cole smiled, patting Jay on the shoulder, "how about a rematch on _Ninja Warrior 2_? I think I can definitely beat you this time."

"That seems highly unlikely, Cole," Zane intervened, "Jay's reflexes are faster than yours, and he has played much more than you." The nindroid reasoned.

"I'll still take you anyway," Jay insisted, turning slightly to lob some playful punches at his muscular friend. Cole blocked them easily while grinning.

"Easy, lightning bug," Black said to blue, "wouldn't want you getting overworked and then unable to actually put up a challenge."

From where he stood, a few meters away, Kai grinned.

"What're you thinking?" Lloyd asked, knowing all too well that when Kai wore that expression he was up to no good.

"Just a little prank," Kai replied, patting Lloyd on the back. "You want to help me? You used to be so into pranking…I feel like you've still got that in you."

Lloyd mused on the offer for a moment, then nodded agreeingly, seizing an opportunity to spend more time with the Master of Fire. "Sure, what did you have in mind?" The teen inquired.

"Nothing too crazy, don't worry," The brunette pacified, "have you ever seen what Jay does when he gets spooked?"

Lloyd quirked a brow. "What does he do?"

Kai snickered to himself. "If you don't know I won't dare ruin it."

"Kai…" Nya said as she approached her older brother. He quickly stiffened and put on an innocent smile.

"Nya!" He chimed, "You did amazing today, I was really impressed with how you—" Kai was cut off as his sister jabbed an accusing finger in his face.

"Don't you try that with me," She glared at him disapprovingly, "no more pranks, especially on Jay, you know he's jumpy. You're going to give him a heart attack."

Kai waved his hands defensively. " _What_? No. If anything, he can always shock his own heart back into rhythm, right?"

Lloyd couldn't help but laugh. "I don't think he can be his own defibrillator, Kai."

"I mean it," Nya said, looking rather cross, "whenever you guys start these stupid pranks I always have to clean up the mess."

"No messes, I got it." Kai said, smiling sweetly. Nya eyed him for a moment and then sighed.

"Just…don't, okay?" Kai nodded, despite the fact he had every intention of still going through with his plans, being the type to not give up on something once his mind was set.

Nya walked off, passing the rest of her teammates, before heading inside.

"So," Lloyd flicked his eyes from where Nya'd gone to Kai, "are we still going to—"

"Absolutely," Kai grinned widely, his hands on his hips, "just make sure you have a camera ready. Really, it's priceless."

"Okay, Kai, whatever you say." Lloyd smiled, eager to see what sort of mischief Kai had planned.

"Atta boy," Red praised green, tussling Lloyd's honey blonde hair.

* * *

After several rounds of _Ninja Warrior 2_ , all of which resulted in Cole's complete and utter defeat, the entire group opted to head out into the surrounding forests near the Bounty's landing.

"Fresh air will do you all some good," Wu agreed in a sagely way, stroking his long beard. "But do not stray far from the ship. And be back before nightfall."

Cole and Jay walked near the front of the group, the former with his hands in his pockets and nodding as the latter yammered on about anything and everything.

The middle of the group was occupied by Nya and Zane, whom were in a deep discussion about a proposed project of Nya's—she had an idea in mind for a new suit, and she was hoping for Zane's input.

And finally, at the end of the pack were Kai and Lloyd, both trailing behind so Kai could scope out their surroundings.

"You really think this is going to work?" Lloyd whispered in a hushed tone to Kai, cupping the side of his mouth with his hand, while he watched Nya.

"More than likely," The brunette replied with confidence, wearing his trademark lopsided grin, "we just need to wait until it's dark enough."

"But Wu said not to be out until nightfall," Lloyd insisted, casting a worried gaze to his older companion. Kai waved off his concerns.

"We don't need it to be night, just darker," He explained, "don't worry, I won't let you get in trouble." Lloyd smiled appreciatively to the Master of Fire.

"Woah, look!" Jay shouted from the front, pointing at a cave. "Y'think it's a mine or something?" He asked to no one in particular.

"This area was once used to mine deepstone, as we are very close to the ocean, this was likely an access channel." Zane explained as he walked up beside Jay to admire the cavernous entrance.

"We should check it out," Cole said with a wide grin, "could be fun."

"I'm in!" Nya agreed, earning a fist bump from Cole.

"They found a cave?" Lloyd blinked, head cocking slightly to the side, before looking over to see Kai grinning wickedly and rubbing his hands together.

"That's perfect! I'll provide the light…it'll go out suddenly and you'll need to poke him or something." Kai cast his amber eyes to Lloyd. "Or, maybe I will, I don't want you getting hurt."

Lloyd puffed his cheeks. "Stop babying me," He hissed at Kai, "I'll do it!"

"I don't _baby you_ ," Kai added air quotes for emphasis, "I look after your well being because it's sort of my job?" Lloyd scoffed at him and crossed his arms over his chest.

"I'm not a little kid anymore, haven't been for a while. You're overprotective. I'll spook Jay." Lloyd insisted with narrowed emerald eyes. Kai sighed and nodded his head.

"Fine, but be sure to move back…" 

* * *

"This is your idea of fun?" Jay asked skeptically, walking very near to Cole as the group moved through the cave. It was dark, dank, and deep. A very traditional cave.

"Yeah, of course," Cole beamed.

"It is fascinating," Zane said, "it is likely this cave is very deep, perhaps even going into the ocean so they could mine from the seafloor."

"Yeah, sure," Jay muttered, not impressed.

"You're fine, Jay," Nya said as she looked around, "so far as I can sense, we're quite some ways away from the ocean still, so there's not much water in the cave."

From behind the group, Kai held a raised fist, ignited in a burning flame that was illuminating their surroundings. Lloyd kept close to the Master of Fire, his eyes roaming the walls and ceiling of the cave.

"Y'ready?" Kai asked, trying his hardest to hide his smirk. Lloyd turned his head to look at the brunette and nodded quickly. "I'll pop the light out and you sneak up on him."

"Sure thing," Lloyd said, a hint of excitement in his voice. Kai was so proud in that moment.

Kai took a few more steps, then feigned a trip overdramatically and the light extinguished. " _Wooooah, oops_. Sorry guys, I tripped!" The red clad teen stifled his snickering as he listened to the audible gasps of his teammates as they were plunged into total darkness.

"Kai, we can't see anything!" Nya shouted.

"Correct. The amount of visible light in the cave is well below 200 nanometers—"

"That's not helping, Zane!" Jay admonished.

"Calm down guys, Kai'll get the fire going again." Cole reasoned.

"Yeah, yeah," Kai snickered, "just let me stand up…good thing we're alone in this cave, right? Would be super scary if _someone else_ was in here we couldn't see…"

"Why would you phrase it like that?" Nya frowned, confused, her eyes trying to seek out any sort of shape in the complete darkness.

"Just sayin'." Kai replied quickly.

"Just hurry up!" Jay insisted worriedly, trying not to step around, afraid he might bump into someone… _or something_.

Lloyd, having crept up close to Jay before the light went out, readied his hands. He was about to scare the daylights out of the Master of Lightning, but he took pause, wondering if Kai meant it when he said he should move back right away. The green clad teen shook his head, poised himself and struck forward. His hands, fingers bared, gently clawed into Jay's prone sides and the jittery ninja reacted immediately.

Lloyd leapt back as Jay squeaked— _that's right, squeaked_ —in fear and practically jumped out of his gi. The cave lit up in a brilliant blue as streaks of lightning flew off Jay in erratic sparks. "Ahh!" The brunette cried out following his earlier noise, lightning still flying off his quivering body and striking the ground, walls and ceiling around his teammates.

They were all quick to react to the sudden onslaught of dangerous electricity, moving out of the way as their shouts echoed through the cavernous tunnel.

"Jay! Calm down!" Cole shouted as he narrowly dodged a large bolt that stuck the ground near his feet.

"You're going to shock someone!" Nya said, ducking out of the line of fire.

"You must calm yourself, Jay!" Zane added, jumping back and away from some stray bolts.

Kai and Lloyd simply lost it, clutching their sides and laughing hysterically at the goings on. Cole was the first to notice this and his thick brows knit as he pointed at them.

"You two did this?! Jay's freakin' firing off lightning every which way and seconds from a breakdown and you think it's funny?!" The Master of Earth clenched his fists tightly as the cave around them started to rumble dangerously. Kai and Lloyd soon found themselves struggling to balance as Kai relit his hand to light up their surroundings.

"Woah, Cole, buddy!" Kai yelled, struggling to keep his footing.

"You can get angry at us after," Lloyd shouted, noticing Jay now hunched down, knees to his chin and hands over his head, as vibrant blue streaks of energy continued to fire off of him defensively. "But we need to calm Jay!"

Cole quickly turned his attention back to Jay and the rumbling around them subsided. "Jay!" The ebony haired teen rushed straight towards his cowering friend, not at all deterred by the violent bursts of electricity sparking wildly around him.

"Be careful, Cole!" Zane called to him, poised and ready to help if needed.

The Master of Earth approached the Master of Lightning cautiously and strategically. He moved around the bolts of lightning with practiced skill, managing to get close enough to reach out. "Jay, it's me," Cole soothed in a sweet voice, "it was just Lloyd. You're okay…I'm going to put my hand on you now, okay?" Black rested his hand gently on blue, wincing a bit as he was shocked mildly by the smaller teen's element. It took a moment, but Cole could feel Jay relaxing under his hand and the sparks slowly simmered down until they were nothing more but tiny crackles of subtle light.

"Cole?" Jay raised his head and turned to look at the other ninja. Cole smiled.

"Yeah. You good?" He rubbed his friend's shoulder gingerly. Jay nodded slowly and turned, wrapping his arms around Cole's shoulders and burying his face in the crook of his neck. Cole wound his arms around Jay's smaller form and hugged him close, turning his head to kiss Jay's hair. "I got you, buddy, you're safe." Jay's grip on Cole tightened. The Master of Earth always knew exactly what to say.

"You **jerks**!" Nya shouted, blasting a stream of water at Kai and Lloyd. It soaked them to the bone, and also temporarily put out the fire again.

"It is once again dark." Zane said.

"Nya, my clothes!" Kai shouted, quickly reigniting his hand as he looked down at his dripping wet gi.

"I'm drenched!" Lloyd whined.

"It's the least of what I'm going to do to you two!" Nya growled as she stalked towards them.

"Woah, take it easy sis," Kai smiled lopsidedly, "we didn't mean anything by it…" Nya ignored him and raised her hands, engulfing them in bubbles of water. Kai swallowed and grabbed the hood of Lloyd's gi. "C'mon, green bean, we're outta here!" He shouted as he dragged Lloyd away from the enraged Master of Water. Nya was hot on their heels, chasing after them.

Zane walked up to Cole and Jay. "Will you be alright, Jay?" He asked, concerned.

"Yeah," Jay nodded as he reluctantly pulled away from Cole. "Lets just get out of this cave. And I'm getting Kai and Lloyd back for this."

Cole grinned. "You definitely are. How can I help?"

"I will help as well!" Zane said as the remaining trio quickly exited the cave.


	4. Falling Apart

**\- Falling Apart -**

* * *

 **[!] THIS DEFINITELY CONTAINS SPOILERS FOR SEASON 8 EPISODE 5: DEADMAN'S SQUALL.** If you haven't watched it yet, I'd recommend doing so before reading this, as it contains a basic play-by-play of what occurred in the episode. Some bits were added in where focus was shifted, but a lot of dialogue is taken directly out of S8E5.

I just felt compelled to write this. The episode was **SO** good. Idea came about entirely from the brief sequence when Jay's knocked aside from Samurai X and Cole immediately rushes to attack in retaliation. A+ Cole. _Atta boy_.

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It was a terrible day for a fight. The ninja had taken to the skies, hiding amongst the clouds in Deadman's Squall, hoping that the violent storm would mask any trace of them.

The storm was serving its purpose, the pouring rain, thunderous booms and cracks of lightning streaking wildly across the sky around them kept them safe from the eyes of the Sons of Garmadon…but not from a malfunctioning Samurai X.

Their ally in arms was now their enemy, at least until a proper reboot could be performed.

Samurai X landed hard onto the deck of the airborne Destiny's Bounty. The force of the landing shook the body of the vessel, prompting the wooden ship to groan boisterously. The mech, quick to compose itself after the touchdown, unsheathed its massive golden sword and poised it at the ready to strike.

Lloyd cast his gaze down to the thruster secured over the side of the ship, knowing it was the only thing keeping them up, and the target of their glitching opponent's aggression. "Don't let her get the thruster!" Green shouted over the chaos of the storm as it danced erratically around them.

Jay, closest to the lead ninja, reacted fast. With a gruff cry, he raised his nunchuks and charged the suit of armor, ready to fight. Unfortunately, Samurai X was readied too, and made quick work in sideswiping the Master of Lightning as he rushed her. The mech's massive hand swung low and easily toppled the blue ninja, sending his body flying and tumbling to her left, his weapon clattering loudly over the water soaked wooden boards of the Destiny's deck as he skid to a stop several feet away.

The rest of the ninja responded instantly, all raising their geared weapons, and all prepared to defend their stricken comrade and base of operations.

"Jay!" Cole swung his hammer over his shoulder and sprinted towards Samurai X, thick black brows knitted into a deep and angry scowl, and his dark eyes ablaze with white hot rage. For the briefest moments, the black ninja allowed himself the chance to steal a glance in Jay's direction, and he could see his fallen friend laying splayed out on his back with an expression twisted and contorted with pain.

The momentary lapse in focus was all Samurai X needed to quickly catch Cole mid-sprint, lifting his feet off the ship.

"Hold on, Cole!" Kai shouted as he lunged forward, baring his twin swords, only to have his abdomen kicked hard by the mech's foot. The hulking machine's limb connected with the Master of Fire's body, sending him stumbling back and over the edge of the boat. At the last second, Kai caught the siding and clung to the soaked frame, water from the rainstorm beating down on him unrelentingly.

Cole, meanwhile, was fighting hard against Samurai X's hold, his body twisted and wriggling wildly. Suddenly, the mech reared back and swung its arm, releasing Cole and sending him flying across the deck of the ship to the helm. He landed hard against the floor, rolling to a hard stop and groaning softly.

Slowly, Cole sat upright and held his head in his hand, the world spinning around him. Faintly, he could hear the muffled noises of combat: the clang of metal connecting with metal, the pounding of footfalls, and the clambering of voices demanding to be heard over the roaring bellows of the storm around them…

 _Cole…!_

The black-haired teen turned his head slightly, one eye closed and the other partially squinted, trying to focus despite the pounding in his skull.

 _Cole, Cole!_

The more he tried to focus, the more his head throbbed painfully, but slowly the world was coming back into shape and everything was clearer. He made an effort to keep himself upright.

He could tell that voices were being heard, but they sounded obstructed in a way, as if they were under water. This wasn't helped by the fact the Master of Earth was also being bothered by a mild ringing in his ears.

" _Cole, Cole…are you okay?!_ " Cole recognized the distraught voice of Jay, blinking a few times and everything slowly became much more intelligible as the world returned to focus.

"Cole, answer me!" Jay screamed, sliding on his knees to his fallen friend, his hands grasping frantically at Cole. They moved about wildly, running over the black ninja's arms, chest, neck and head, as if trying to simultaneously rouse him back into responsiveness and check for any signs of physical damage.

"Jay?" Cole said, finally, his eyes narrowing on the Master of Lightning before him. Jay visibly relaxed, smiling and most definitely breathing a sigh of relief.

"Oh, thank goodness, I was really worried there," A loud clash of metal struck from behind them as the turmoil ensued, garnering both boys' attention, as they saw Lloyd narrowly avoid being cleaved in two by Samurai X's massive sword. "We need to help!" Jay's head whipped back around to face Cole, cupping his friend's cheeks in his hands. "Can you still fight?"

"Of course," Cole assured with a confident smile, "lets get back out there!"

A sudden bang that rattled the whole of the Bounty rang out, making the entire vessel quake beneath their bodies, which subsided slowly and was replaced by a piercing scream. The ninja barely had time to react before they caught the tail end of Lloyd and Harumi falling from the ship with Samurai X.

"Lloyd!" All three ninja cried out as they rushed to the side of the Bounty, eyes wide and chests heavy with worry. The three boys, Fire, Earth and Lightning, all clutched the railing of the ship tightly and searched for their fallen friend amongst the chaos of storming clouds and descending metal.

Jay screamed over the storm. "He did not just—!"

"—He just did!" Kai confirmed, flabbergasted.

"What're we going to do?!" Cole demanded, the fear for his friend obvious in his voice.

"I don't know!" Kai slammed his balled fists against the railing, clenching them as tightly as he was his teeth.

"We have to save Lloyd!" Jay insisted, moving to climb over the railing, but was quickly dragged back by a pair of strong arms.

"No way!" Cole tugged Jay back forcibly and held the smaller male to his broad chest, keeping him in place. "No one else is jumping _off_ this freakin' boat!" Jay managed to wriggle himself free, standing back by the side and peering over the hulking vessel.

"Fine! But we have company!" Blue shouted as Samurai X, no longer adorning her mech, jetted over them and landed back on the deck. She quickly whirled around to face the three ninja, drawing her blade and baring it threateningly.

"You're supposed to be our friend!" Jay screamed, his hand clutching hard around the chukon-bu of his weapon, his knuckles blanching from strain.

That was all it took for the Masters to charge forward with reckless abandon, angry and afraid, but more than that…wholly focused on taking down their adversary.

Kai leapt forward with blazing fury, catching Samurai X's sword between the blades of his own, growling gutturally as he fought to keep his opponent's weapon pinned. When he heard the movements of his teammates behind him, he quickly sidestepped and allowed Cole to charge past. The Master of Earth swung his heavy hammer and slammed it down on the ground, forcing Samurai X to stumble backwards and lower her weapon, exposing her center. In a fluid motion, Cole shifted aside and Jay sprung forward from behind him, throwing both legs out and into Samurai X's chest, kicking her rearwards and onto her back.

As the three ninja narrowed around her, Samurai X stood and analyzed the situation, eyes falling on the partially exposed thruster.

"Drop your sword!" Jay barked, putting emphasis on each word as they passed his lips.

"I…shall…comply!" Samurai X responded in a robotic tone before throwing her sword over the ninja, sending the metallic weapon over the side of the ship and into the load-barring thruster. The ninja could only watch in absolute horror as the sword as pulled into the engine. They were too late. Even with the reboot having been successful moments prior, and Nya and Zane coming topside to inform their teammates, the thruster had still suffered irreparable damage.

There was a bright flash, an explosion, and fire quickly consumed the thruster. It was engulfed in a matter of seconds, spewing molten metal, roaring flames and thick black smoke. The Bounty shook violently, the nose immediately diving, as they began descending from the sky at a dangerously rapid pace. Sirens blared in warning, flashing red lights, signifying their immanent crash.

"She got the last thruster!" Jay cried as he clutched to the nearest steady surface.

"Any ideas!?" Kai shouted.

"Not a one!" Zane quickly replied, his usual mellow tone baring an inflection of concern.

"Yeah, me neither," Kai admitted somewhat comedically despite their current predicament.

"We should pray to the storm god!" Jay cried out pitifully.

"That is not helpful!" Nya chastised.

"Perhaps if we can create enough drag with the sails we would be able to create a controlled crash?" Zane suggested.

"What sails?!" Kai screamed, pointing up to the tattered remains of the fabric that was once the sails. The group grew silent.

Jay then sucked in a breath. "The rain!" He yelled. "it could slow our fall!" Nya cast her eyes around the group, seeming entirely unconvinced, but more than willing to attempt it.

"It's worth a try!" She said, dashing forward to the head of the ship. She stood upright, arms out and eyes closed tightly, trying to concentrate on each droplet of water as it poured down on them. The Master of Water strained, trying to focus, trying to clear her mind and fixate only on the water…but it was proving a futile endeavour. _She couldn't do it_.

She turned back sadly, catching the hopeful eyes of Cole, Jay and Kai, as a pang of guilt struck her heart. She was almost ready to give up on the idea, it was too hard, but she couldn't let her teammates down…not when they believed in her. Their disappointment…it would have been so much worse than failure.

With renewed confidence, Nya turned back and threw her arms out again, slamming her eyes tightly shut and forcing her mind to focus entirely on the water. It was, after all, _her element_. If anyone could bend it to their will…it was her. She breathed deep, her brows knitting in deep concentration, and with a low shout she threw her arms up and commanded the water to slow around the Bounty. The droplets of rain complied, following her instruction, sliding slowly over the body of the boat and slowing its downward direction.

It was not enough to entirely stop their fall, but enough to steady it.

"Ha, it's working!" Jay cheered as he and the group looked around in awe of the prowess of the Master of Water. Truly, Nya had come so far, and grown so much. Her mastery of her element was proving more and more impressive with each passing day.

Suddenly, treetops came into view as clouds disappeared from around them, and everyone on board clutched hard to their respective places.

"Brace for impact!" Kai shouted as they careened dangerously towards the forest below. Over the commotion, the baby down below began to cry, snapping Cole's attention away from focusing on the safety of himself and his teammates. Without a second thought, he ran for the doorway, diving down the stairs and bursting into the room where the baby wept. He threw himself towards the infant, snatching him out of the rocking crib and drawing him into the safety of his body, holding onto him tightly and protectively.

Then they hit ground. The boat slammed down and dug a deep track into the earth as it rode along, shaking violently and rattling hard, splintering and breaking apart until it finally came to a hard stop. As dust settled and sunlight finally shown through onto the wreckage, Jay was the first to stand.

He walked to Nya, helping her up onto her feet, before turning his head to look at his teammates. "Everyone okay?" He called. Several groans could be heard as the other ninja and P.i.x.a.l slowly sat upright. Cole walked out of the Bounty, baby in his arms, and a relieved smile on his lips.

"You okay too, little buddy?" He asked the bundle in his arms. The baby gurgled something unintelligibly, but smiled up at his protector.

Zane was next to stand, seeing P.i.x.a.l for the first time in…a long while. As they embraced, arms wrapped tightly around the other, Kai stepped passed them and looked around worriedly.

"What about Lloyd…? And Harumi?"

"We need to find them," Nya said as she steadied herself. She could see the concern marring her brother's expression. "We _will_ find them." She assured. Certain Nya could now stand without assistance, Jay quickly rushed to Cole, looking over him and the baby.

"You're both okay?" He asked, worried.

"Yeah," Cole breathed. "Baby too."

"You're nuts, don't…do things like that!" Jay shouted at him. "You just…let go and ran in there…I was so worried!"

"I'm sorry, but I had to get him," Cole reasoned, bouncing the baby in his arms, to which the infant cooed happily. Jay softened and nodded slowly, reaching out to gently rub the baby's forehead.

"Yeah, that makes sense…" He admitted with a small smile. "I just…"

"I know," Cole hummed. "But we're okay now." He leaned over and pecked Jay on the cheek. The brunette blushed lightly and wrung his hands out.

"Cole…!" He hissed softly. The Master of Earth chuckled.

"We need to fix the ship…and we need to find Lloyd and the princess." Jay nodded in agreement.

"Yeah," He wound his arms around Cole's waist and hugged into his side, mindful of the baby. "I'm glad we're okay, though…you…and him."

The baby gurgled up at a smiling Cole and Jay. For now, things were calm, but they would not remain that way for long…


End file.
